‘Excellent’ Newcastle United star posts five-word injury update ahead of Crystal Palace clash

Newcastle host Palace at St James’ Park on Saturday (3pm kick-off) with Botman hopeful of being back in contention following a knee injury that has kept him out of the wins over Manchester City, Burnley and Paris Saint-Germain as well as the draw at West Ham United before the international break.

The 23-year-old centre-back has been a key player for Newcastle since his arrival from Lille for £35million last summer and had rarely missed any matches until this recent knee injury. Head coach Eddie Howe has described the defender’s performances as ‘excellent’ since his arrival.

Botman’s last match for Newcastle came almost a month ago as he scored his first goal for the club in an 8-0 win at Sheffield United.

His recovery from a knee injury is understood to be going well, with the defender taking to Instagram to post a short but encouraging message. The Dutch defender posted a picture of himself warming-up ahead of Newcastle’s Champions League match at AC Milan last month along with the caption: “Coming back stronger than ever.”

In Botman’s absence, Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles has been starting at centre-back alongside Fabian Schar. Lascelles played a key role in keeping clean sheets against Manchester City and Burnley and also played a key role in the 4-1 win over PSG.

Should Botman be passed fit for Saturday’s match, he would be expected to return to the left centre-back position with Lascelles dropping to the bench and Schar switching back to the right-hand side.